


Acrasia

by The_Readers_Muse



Category: Moonlight (TV)
Genre: 1x13, Angst, Blood, Blood Drinking, Drama, Emotional Constipation, Intimacy, M/M, Nudity, Please note the references to Beth/Mick are small and background, Pre-Slash, Romance, Spooning, Vampire Turning, Vampires, there is only one freezer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:13:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25487557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Readers_Muse/pseuds/The_Readers_Muse
Summary: Liar, liar fangs on fire.
Relationships: Josef Kostan | Josef Konstantin & Mick St. John, Josef Kostan | Josef Konstantin/Mick St. John, Mick St. John/Beth Turner
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Acrasia

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own "Moonlight" or any of the characters, wishful thinking aside.
> 
> Authors Note #1: The aftermath of Josef re-turning Mick in 1x13 and rescuing Beth.
> 
> Warnings: preslash, nudity, spooning, there is only one freezer omg, emotions, emotional constipation, angst, drama, romance, drama, semi-frozen boners.

The scuffs on his Amadeo Testonis were an ignored sacrilege as he went through the motions of his usual bedtime routine. There was less grace involved, even after he drained three bags of barely warmed O+. And who could blame him? Personally, it was incredible he was still lucid. Surprised he hadn't tracked Mick down and done something regrettably emotional. Like force-feed him that rancid crap he called blood and tuck him in for the night.

Siring instincts were a bitch like that.

 _Mick_ could be a bitch like that.

His hand shook around the glass as he knocked the last back like a shot. Weak and wired as he looked at the fourth bag with a bit too much interest. Swallowing thickly as the iron-laced sweetness coated his throat. Tamping back on the urge to gorge himself. To answer that craving for _more_ in the only way he knew how.

There was no reason to over do it, after all.

His fangs throbbed in his gums as he stared at the blood bag. Practically glowing against the white granite as they shivered out completely. Flirting with the soft of his lower lip as a hungry hiss rattled up his throat. Hungry. Glutting. Greedy.

On second thought-

He always forgot how much it took out of you. As a sire it was a rush, sure. But making a vamp? It wasn't just blood that got drained. He had to part with some of himself. His power. His thoughts and experiences. Little pieces that got fractured and passed on to the next generation.

That was the point.

It was a legacy.

And now Mick was his.

He stumbled at the dangerous thought. Clenching at the counter to steady himself. Remembering the acrid, bittersweet tart when Mick had yielded to him. How he'd snarled through a tide of sorrow, want and joy as he sank his teeth. Finally able to put a taste to a smell that had teased him for decades. His tongue grazed his fangs as he looked up at the emptiness of his penthouse. Swearing he could still taste Mick there somehow.

He shook himself, setting the glass down with a clumsy rattle. Almost breaking it. Reaching for the blood bag with a blind swipe that nearly sent his nails through the plastic. He made a point of emptying it into the glass and downing it that way. Glad to be alone, for once. He didn't want witnesses for this. He hadn't trusted himself to call one of his freshies. Not even his most experienced.

He hadn't felt this out of control in a long time. Not since-

The answer to his problem was so immediate, so firm, it mercifully cut off his train of thought.

 _Sleep_. He needed sleep.

* * *

His eyes had barely closed when he sensed movement. Nearly bashing his head on his expensive, customized freezer as he reared up. Coming to his senses as the sire-bond thrummed – warm, like spilled blood - before he realized Mick was-

The lid opened to show Mick's face, pale and vamped. Looking out of it as the younger vampire snarled at him. Wavering like he could barely stand up straight. Nails sharp around the edges of the freezer as Mick scented the air, brown curls hanging in his face. Rumbling an animal sound at finding him, fangs bared in welcome.

He stared up at him nonplussed, naked and more vulnerable than he ever thought he'd tolerate as he returned the hiss without thinking. Fangs long and blood-sharp. Allowing the instinctual knuckle-dragging as he caught the smell of exhaustion rolling off the vampire in waves.

He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised.

Mick never did things by the book, the vampire one anyway.

But considering the look of him, he had a feeling Mick wasn't the one in charge right now.

He sighed, eyes rolling sky-ward.

 _Lovely_.

He got a feral not-so newborn to babysit right before bedtime.

Figures.

This is what he got for getting involved.

He decided to ignore the fact that all that tension that had been building in him since they'd gone their separate ways had eased on seeing him. Like pressure lessening off a valve, he could breathe easy again. You know- if he still needed to breathe. He couldn't deny he wasn't relieved. Unable to summon up the energy to deflect or even snap him out of it so he could get some sleep.

Instead, he waited. Wondering what Mick would do.

Instinct insisted he stay still.

His childe was here.

There was no threat.

In fact, it was almost expected.

The old ways encouraged such things.

And he felt it, the chord that tethered Mick to him was-

No. _No_. _Mick_ _wasn't_ _his_.

He was.

But he wasn't.

He hissed a question, a welcome, it was too much of the same to differentiate. But Mick was already stripping down to skin. Climbing in beside him like he had an invitation. And maybe he did. Maybe this was how it was supposed to be now. Maybe this was what he'd wanted for-

He reached up to help as Mick fell more than folded down beside him. Easing him to the side, a pointed negotiation of knees and elbows as Mick growled a soft note. Something young and old that tugged on the dead center mass in the middle of his chest.

As if to infer, _yes_ \- _this_.

He nosed into the man's neck instinctively. Able to smell himself there as Mick curled into his side, nails sharp against his ribs. Rumbling with a satisfied air as the freezer lid eased closed on motorized hinges.

It was a familiar mechanical melody. Something that had brought on a Pavlovian response over time. Weighing down his eyelids as the cold eased him to sleep. Only this time, he had company. It wasn't the first time, but it was notable. Vampires were usually solitary sleepers. He'd heard rumors that mates often slept together. But considering mating bonds were rare enough that _he'd_ barely heard of them, the concept was something of a novelty.

Speaking of which…

Mick hissed, irritated when he was forced to budge back and make room. Neither of them good at negotiating space. And after a minute of jostling he was fed up enough to return it. Coddling him with a growl that shivered down Mick's skin before nipping the back of his neck. A warning. An affirmation. Covering him with his arm as he hushed close, cock soft against the curve of his ass. Breathing in the beautiful chill as his lips pressed against Mick's throat. Tracing the spot he'd drank from with the plush of his lower lip. Remembering.

Inner conflict was for better people than him. So, for now, all he remembered was the hedonistic pleasure of it when Mick's blood had coated his tongue. _Beautiful_. Bringing him back what he'd lost. Making sure his friend survived. That was what he clung to. There had been fear, regret, sorrow, all of it- but mostly relief.

He was a selfish bastard.

But then, he'd never claimed to be anything else.

He'd asked to be forgiven because the outcome had suited him.

Mick being human terrified him.

Humans died all the time.

And he _couldn't_ \- not Mick.

A purr rattled up his throat as he buried his face in the man's hair. Breathing him in. Every part of him settling. He could feel it in his blood. Feel the same in Mick. He allowed the weakness to root as Mick relaxed into him, back arching at the soothing hum. Answering him with piteous little growls and churls that made him want to cover every inch of him with his own skin.

Knowing that _this_ \- right here, right now - was exactly the way it should be.

Right.

Good.

Safe.

"If you're going to freak out on me, save it for moonrise," he murmured, yawning. Fingers drifting down the flat of the man's stomach before settling on his hip. Pulling him close.

But Mick was already asleep, and within an echo, he followed him.

* * *

He woke up hopelessly tangled. Mick had shifted sometime during the night - or day - and squashed his face into the arc of his neck. An awkward embrace that had ended with fingers dug tight between his ribs and another wormed under his lower back.

Not exactly comfortable.

But he'd slept like the dead.

Pun intended.

He looked up at the freezer lid for a long, awkward beat. Breathing just to see the condensation rise like pipe-smoke. Hazy before the frigid temperature dispersed it. A trick that not long ago could have gotten you burned at the stake or ostracized from an entire village.

He'd seen enough in his time to know it never paid to be that kind of curious.

Which was why he was doubly insane for what he did next.

Because instead of booting out his bedmate, or embarrassing him into leaving, he just- stayed there. Silent. Sentry. _Sentinel_. Wondering what would happen next. He figured it went without saying that he was more than a little conflicted.

It took longer than he thought, but eventually Mick stirred. He bore witness to every increasingly self-aware second as the man huffed a breath into his skin and rubbed his face there, endearingly out of it for a collection of beats before the man stiffened.

_Ah, there it is._

_Rise and shine._

But maybe just as surprising was how quickly Mick relaxed. Scenting the air as he looked up at him, lids barely cracked. Exhaling softly into the jut of his hip and making no effort to pull away as the cramped space of the freezer encouraged closeness.

"Josef? What happened?"

A rash of feeling rose, threatening to thicken in his throat.

_Christ._

He wasn't good at this. He was out of practice, after Sarah, sure. But the truth was, he'd been born and been reborn with the instinct to avoid moments like this. As if deep down, he'd always known how much it would hurt when everything crumbled. He knew better, and yet he here was. Eager to play the fool. Again.

In the end, he did what he always did.

He swallowed it all down and forced a gamey smile.

"Nothing," he answered honestly, before slipping into snarky-casual. His favorite type of emotional avoidance. "Tragically."

The sharp of Mick's fang grazed his thigh. Very much on purpose. Making him grin into the sub-zero air. Feeling it on his teeth as Mick shifted, slowly retrieving his run-away appendages.

"I mean how did I get here?"

"Drove, I imagine," he answered, before relenting. "I was all tucked in and you arrived. I thought you'd be with Beth."

Mick shifted again, eyes human as he looked up at him. But only barely.

Tenuous control had never looked so devastatingly attractive. And wow, did that take him back. Back to the first time he'd seen Coraline's latest plaything - freshly turned, angry and almost trembling out of his skin as she coaxed him into being social at her version of vampire debutante. He knew it would end in tears, he just hadn't figured he'd end up getting involved.

_Very involved._

The echo of Beth's name hung in the air between them.

He thought the reminder would be enough to have Mick start pulling away.

But Mick didn't move.

And honestly, he wasn't sure how to handle that.

Mick cocked his head, staring down at him with hooded eyes.

Like he wanted to say something.

"What is it, slugger?" he teased, like he didn't have a vested interest either way.

_Liar, liar fangs on fire._

"I was- I was with Beth. I made sure she got home alright. But then I felt-" Mick shook his head, cheek grazing his shoulder. "It wasn't like this the first time."

If he'd been human he probably would have sucked air between his teeth.

"Like what?"

Mick stared at him, eyes flicking from human to vampire for a long frenetic moment before settling on blown-white iris'. Feeling himself do the same as his lips pulled back, showing teeth.

"Good," Mick admitted. Like he knew exactly what he was risking by saying it aloud.

All the muscles in him slackened without his consent, coaxing Mick deeper – kneading flesh. There were no words. No resistance. No hard edges despite neither of them having much softness in them to begin with. Unable to stop himself from burying his fingers in Mick's hair as the man hissed a questioning sound.

"It's how it's supposed to be," he rasped, long after he thought he wouldn't be able to get anything out at all. Words pitfalls that could change everything if he wasn't careful. "…More or less."

Mick huffed a disbelieving note into skin. Making him wonder exactly what kind of 'good' this felt like. If it was the same kind of 'good' he was breathing through. A conflicted backwash of instinct and emotion roiled through him. Making him want to curl away as much as it urged him to stretch out and display his vulnerable parts.

"Is it always going to be like this?" Mick asked. Jaw working against his shoulder like he wanted to sink his teeth, but didn't dare.

"I don't know," he answered honestly, realizing that somewhere along the line his fingers had started carding through the man's curls. Untangling and easing them back in a gentle, rhythmic motion. "Siring can be intense…but this is-"

He got stuck there. Toying with a half-dozen adjectives that weren't enough to describe it.

Words like different. Amazing. Terrifying. _More_.

But he didn't let any of them loose.

Instead, his cock stirred in the cradle of his thighs. Firming up against the jut of Mick's hip as he looked down at it in surprise. Caught off guard as a flush of arousal tarted the air. His and Mick's.

"Yeah," Mick offered softly, eyes flicking down to his lap before looking him right in the eye. " _Yeah_."

**Author's Note:**

> Reference:
> 
> \- Acrasia - lack of self control when you act against your better judgment.
> 
> \- Amadeo Testoni - Antiqued Leather Oxfords – an expensive brand of men's dress shoes. Valued at $1,755.


End file.
